Our Programme
We meet on every 2nd Wednesday of the month (except August)
at Park Junior School Hall, Stonehouse. Directions to the School
Meetings normally start at 7.30 pm unless otherwise notified
Everyone welcome to attend. Entrance charge £2 members, £3 non-members (unless otherwise notified)
2026
Feb 11th 7.30 pm – Gareth Howell
Pancake day: the Linby Pancakes, a Viking army and the history of pancakes and their Day
It is said that the Nottingham village of Linby was the scene of the invention of the Pancake, when some abandoned women chased off the Great Viking Army. This talk examines the truth behind the story, the history of Pancakes and of Pancake Day. A fascinating journey through the history of pancakes, pancake day and the Viking army of the north.
About Gareth Howell:
Gareth Howell
I have recently moved down to Gloucester, after being a popular speaker up in Nottingham for over a decade. I regularly appeared on BBC Radio Nottingham as an historical adviser, most notably as the military historian when Armed Forces Day was hosted at Nottingham. I also acted as a Politics advisor, covering the resignation of Boris Johnson and the first Truss vs Sunak debate. I have also spoken on BBC Notts on topics as diverse as Richard 3rd, the tanks, the home guard and the Easter Rising (for which I also appeared on a programme with BBC Ulster). I am also a regular guest speaker for Abingdon Museum in Oxfordshire, the British Biomedical Institute, Buxton Museum and various Rotary clubs. I have done some TV work for BBC Ulster and for Channel 4. I am a speaker for a number of Cruise ship lines, and I have appeared as a History speaker for the veterans program for Nottingham Forest and Gloucester Rugby.
March 11th 7.30 pm – Simon Draper
Lines in the landscape: decoding boundaries (with a Gloucestershire/Wiltshire focus)
April 8th 7.30 pm – The history of Hoffmann’s
We hope to feature local people’s memories of working at Hoffmann’s. Please contact us if you would like to share your memories, either by writing them down, by telling them to us or by speaking at the meeting.
If you have any photos we would like to see them.
Contact Vicki Walker email: – info@stonehousehistorygroup.org.uk
or speak to any member of our committee.
May 13th 7.15 pm – AGM followed by short talks by members
Please contact us if you would like to give a short talk (5-10 mins) on an aspect of local history
June 10th 7.30 pm – Alexia Clark – MOD War Detective
The MOD War Detectives are tasked with identifying missing British Service Personnel from the two World Wars and the Korean War. Working closely with partners including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission their work has two main strands – the identification of remains recently recovered from the battlefields, and the identification of those currently buried in graves marked ‘Known to God’. Join Alexia Clark to find out more about the team and their work.
July 8th 7.30 pm – Nicola Potter – Metal detecting and finds from Gloucestershire
No meeting in August
September 9th 7.30 pm – Martyn Beaufort – Murders in Minchinhampton
October 14th 7.30 pm – Tony Conder – Battlefield County – castles, battles and riots over 2000 years
November 11th 7.30 pm – John Putley – Get orf moy land! – the history of farming in Gloucestershire
December 9th – Jack Boskett Photographer
Jack will give us another selection of his professional photographs
Topic to be decided
Past Events 2026
Past Events 2025
Past Events 2024
Past Events 2023
Past Events 2022
Past Events 2020 – 2021